The Al Franken Podcast

Episode: Molly Jong-Fast on The 2025 Elections!
Date: November 9, 2025
Host: Al Franken
Guest: Molly Jong-Fast (journalist and New York Times writer)
Summary by: Podcast Summarizer AI

Episode Overview

In this lively and trenchant episode, Al Franken is joined by Molly Jong-Fast to break down the surprising results of the 2025 off-year elections. The conversation explores Democratic victories across key states, the impact of Donald Trump on the electorate, policy issues influencing voters, and the dynamics around gerrymandering and redistricting. The hosts also discuss the new mayoral landscape in New York City, national political maneuvers, and the rising challenges to democracy leading up to the 2026 midterms.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Democratic Sweep in 2025 Elections

• Host's View: Al introduces the episode by highlighting Democratic wins in gubernatorial races (notably Mikey Sherrill in NJ and Abigail Spanberger in VA), and legislative gains, as well as the significance of California’s Proposition 50 (redistricting).
• Al Franken (03:50): “Democrats won big all over the country. Maybe my theory is maybe because Americans don't like Trump so much, or at least the job he's doing.”
• Electoral Margins:
  • Mikey Sherrill (NJ) won by a 13-point margin, far exceeding expectations.
  • Abigail Spanberger (VA) won by 15 points.
  • Virginia legislature: Dems picked up 13–14 seats (05:28).

2. A Referendum on Trump?

• Ollie (co-host, 08:33): "So was this a referendum on Trump?"
• Molly Jong-Fast (08:40): Expresses frustration with the “hot take industrial complex” that doubted Democratic candidates and underestimated voter backlash against Trump:
  • “Donald Trump got into the culture. He got low frequency voters out there and they voted for him and... it wasn't necessarily a referendum on policy as much as it was just a very... a lot of post Covid drama and a lot of people sort of liked Trump and they were willing to just destroy themselves on him again.”

3. Skyrocketing Turnout & Voter Motivation

• Highest turnout in NJ in 30 years; “huge turnout in Virginia and... NY and California” (Ollie, 10:57).
• Cost of Living, SNAP, Tariffs:
  • Molly Jong-Fast (11:22): Points to policy failures, especially Trump’s “reverse philanthropy” and SNAP (food stamp) cuts.
  • On tariffs: “Trump said, if you vote for me, I will make things cheaper. He turned around and made things more expensive” (12:09).

4. Federal Employees in Trauma

• Firings and chaos among federal workers, especially in Virginia, motivated a backlash:
  • Molly Jong-Fast (13:44): “He’s put them in trauma. And it turns out that if you put someone in trauma, they no longer vote for you.”

5. Trump’s Interference in State Races

• Trump’s direct and indirect involvement in NJ/VA, attempts to punish local leaders (e.g., cancelling the NJ-NY tunnel to spite Schumer) (14:33).
• Cittarelli’s failed argument (“I’m friends with Trump, I’ll protect you”) fell flat given Trump’s open hostility to New Jersey's interests.

6. The Rise of Zoran Mamdani: NY’s New Mayor

• Molly Jong-Fast (16:38): Discusses Mamdani's focus on affordability, rent control, and his effective, honest campaign:
  • “You don't have to promise them everything, but you have to try. And that's where we get back to... the sins of the 2024 cycle... Like, your constituents... know you can't necessarily cancel all student loan debt... but they want you to try.”
• Challenges of being NYC mayor:
  • “That is a terrible job. ... It is a managerial job. It is not an ideological job.” (19:15)
• Mamdani’s popularity is attributed to clear, concrete economic messaging and representation as a young, attractive, diverse candidate—unlike the corporate Democratic “veepification” of political speak (21:55).

7. Proposition 50 & Gerrymandering Wars

• Prop 50 in California:
  • Molly credits Tom Steyer and Gavin Newsom for their bold moves. The initiative added five Democratic seats, offsetting five Republican seats created by TX gerrymandering (24:20-25:54).
• Tit-for-Tat Gerrymandering:
  • TX & CA strategies explored; concern about the emergence of a “dummy-mander” as shifting electorates threaten party assumptions (29:30–31:29).
  • “If you have an electorate that shifted this much… you may have just made a reliably red seat a blue seat…” (30:53).

8. Immigration, ICE, and Outrage in Texas

• Paxton and Abbott’s harsh deportations and militia tactics face public backlash. Deportations to wrong countries, denial of due process, and attacks on Latino communities discussed (28:53).
• Molly Jong-Fast (29:05): “Our government is actively doing the kind of things that the Hague, in fact, puts people in jail. These are things the Hague prosecutes... None of this is how we do it in this country.”

9. 2026 Midterms — What Happens Next?

• Risk of gerrymandering backfiring if electoral swings continue.
• “Is what happened last night a reflection of where America's gonna be in a year?” (Ollie, 31:36)
• “We haven't seen like, we've seen a little bit of what Trump has planned, but we really haven't seen it...” (Molly, 32:13)
• SNAP cuts, food banks, and National Guard in suburbs all sign of political overreach.

10. Fears of Election Suppression & Authoritarian Moves

• Expectation of federal troops and increased “election monitoring” by Trump-aligned forces in 2026 (34:32–35:10).
• Need for Democrats to prepare for intense election oversight, legal fights, and safeguarding democratic norms.

11. The Never-ending Shutdown & Trump’s Self-Enrichment

• Ongoing government shutdown—longest in history (35:33).
• Discussion of the extravagant Trump “Great Gatsby” party at Mar A Lago as SNAP cuts loom (36:42):
  • “You wanna know what the initiation fee is for the Winter White House? ... $1 million.” (37:11)
  • “Between the crypto and the clubs, and the crypto is amazing.” (37:41)
• CZ (Binance founder) pardoned after investing $2B in a Trump family crypto venture.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Molly Jong-Fast (08:53):
  “The kind of bitter disappointment I have towards the hot take industrial complex that told me Mikey Sherrill was just not that good a candidate… my man had been running for state office in New Jersey for nearly a decade. Okay, like, stop it.”
• Molly Jong-Fast (11:22):
  "You basically had the richest man in the world practicing reverse philanthropy with our federal government, cutting cancer research for children."
• Molly Jong-Fast (13:44):
  “So he's put them in trauma. And it turns out that if you put someone in trauma, they no longer vote for you.”
• On Mamdani (16:38):
  “They want their electeds to try… voters just want you to try.”
• On the corporate wing of the Democrats (17:30):
  “Modern, a lot of these more corporatist Democrats are like, well, the math on making eggs cheaper doesn't work. You're running for office, just run for office. Say you're gonna try.”
• On Mayor of NY Job (19:15):
  “That is a terrible job. ... It is a managerial job. It is not an ideological job.”
• Molly Jong-Fast (29:05):
  “Our government is actively doing the kind of things that the Hague, in fact, puts people in jail. These are things the Hague prosecutes... None of this is how we do it in this country.”
• On Democrats' messaging (21:55):
  “The veepification of Democratic speak… you put a Mara and a car and then you get America. You know, like that kind of thing where it's like that doesn't say anything.”
• On Trump & the shutdown (37:11):
  “You wanna know what the initiation fee is for the Winter White House? ... $1 million.”
  “Between the crypto and the clubs, and the crypto is amazing.” (37:41)

Time-Stamped Highlights

• 05:00—Analysis of key Democratic victors and impact on congressional control.
• 08:40—Was this a referendum on Trump? Molly’s frustration with media narratives.
• 11:22—Policy issues (SNAP, tariffs, Musk austerity) drive voter anger.
• 14:33—Trump’s direct role in punishing Democratic-leaning states.
• 16:38—Analysis of Mamdani’s winning strategy in NY mayoral race.
• 24:20–25:54—California’s Prop 50: How Dems countered GOP gerrymandering.
• 28:53—Excessive deportation and human rights concerns in Texas.
• 31:36—Can these results last? The looming 2026 midterms.
• 34:32—Fear and preparation for election suppression.
• 36:42—Trump’s ostentatious personal gain amidst national crisis.

Tone and Style

The conversation is candid, sharp, and a bit salty (plenty of swearing and sarcasm). Molly Jong-Fast brings irreverence and anger at political hypocrisy and inaction, while Al Franken punctuates with dry humor and historical perspective. The episode is rich in current events detail, with a focus on both the policy and the politics shaping the American landscape.

Conclusion

This episode offers a comprehensive, sometimes raucously funny, and passionately argued analysis of the 2025 elections, highlighting Democratic strategy, the perils and potential of gerrymandering, and the ways Trumpism continues to shape and disrupt the U.S. political scene. Both the peril and possibility of the coming year—and the specter of the 2026 midterms—are underscored by the hosts’ pointed observations and memorable one-liners.

Summary ends — For those who missed the episode, this summary covers all the substantive content, context, and memorable exchanges of a pivotal Al Franken Podcast.